At last week's Leinster meeting it was agreed to send a team of 12 athletes (6 male, 6 female) to this year's CSIT Games in Lignano, Italy between 7th and 14th June.

The proposal is that the team will be predominantly made up of young (Junior and under 23) athletes on the cusp of International careers who will benefit from the experience of a week-long International games in a sports village environment. In addition there will be one experienced athlete who will act as Mentor for the younger group and will be nominated Team Captain. The team will be accompanied by two officials as agreed at the Leinster meeting.

The standard of the CSIT Games in the past has been roughly between Provincial and National Championship medallists, and this is the standard we are seeking, though we won't rule out an athlete of obvious outstanding potential.

Athletes should not be current or recent Internationals, or have represented Ireland at European, World, or Olympic Games within the past 4 years.

Selection will be made by 1st May and will be nominated to the organising committee of CSIT on May 5th. As well as the 12 athletes selected, a number of substitutes will be identified who will travel in the event of any of the selected being unable to compete due to injury, illness etc. Athletes selected are expected to have shown good form in 2015, and there are a number of competitive opportunities in the next two months for anybody to show what they can do; where there is doubt an athlete may be asked to show form at either Leevale Sports (18/04), Thomond Games (25/04) or one of a number of events in May. All selected will be asked for assurance of fitness; if an athlete travels and cannot compete because of an injury or illness which was obviously incurred some time previously the athlete will be expected to reimburse the cost of the trip which is around €1,000.

All track & field disciplines will be considered, but athletes must present an Irish passport to be selected.Athletes on scholarship to Third Level institutions should be considered as attached to their original clubs, this also includes those on scholarship with or registered with UCD.

The Games will be held under the supervision of WADA appointed Doping Control and athletes attending must sign a declaration of willingness to undertake testing in advance: in addition a declaration of good behaviour will be requested in advance. In the case of athletes aged 18 or younger the declarations must be signed by a parent or guardian.

We are asking each County Board to provide nominations from their clubs who may be considered for selection, together with a short resume of their career to date. Final selection will be made in early May, but we ask Co Boards to let us have their suggestions by 5th April at the latest. Consideration will be given to all suggestions, but we cannot promise to select any individual recommended. Brian Dowling is the contact person - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

DAY 5 of the Leinster Development and Performance Squads will take place on April 11th, 2015 in Morton Stadium, Santry.

The Development Squad takes place from 11am – 1pm on each day and is open to all athletes aged 12 years +. The squad will cost €5 per athlete each day. Please check-in at the stand in Morton Stadium from 10.30am. Dates for the Development and events covered are listed below:

ALL ATHLETES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE SQUAD PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE OF DATE FOR DAY 5 OF THE SQUADS AS THE DATE CLASHES WITH THE NATIONAL JUVENILE INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS. THE PREVIOUS DATE OF March 21st HAS NOW BEEN CHANGED TO APRIL 11TH.

Please Note that there will be a Pole Vault session as part of the Development Squad starting at 11am. Anyone interested in learning the Pole Vault or adding to previous experience is welcome to attend.

There will also be an open Steeplechase Workshop at 2pm for any athlete who wishes to attend and learn the basics of the event.

Performance Squad

The Performance Squad is for invited athletes only from the U16 to U19 age groups. The Performance Squad will run on the same dates as above from 1-3pm and will cover all events.

Please note that the Middle Distance Performance Squad will not meet on February 28th. Any athlete selected for the Middle Distance group who may have missed the previous squad sessions should contact the group coach Brian Dowling if they have not already done so. Brian can be emailed at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on (085) 2545579.

Please direct any other queries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or to (087) 0632326.

When: Wednesday March 25th between 18.30 and 21.30.Where: City North Hotel, Gormanstown - Google MapCost: €15 per personNumbers: Maximum 20 participantsWho should attend: All Club Children's Officers

A Club Children’s Officer should be child centered in focus and have as the primary aim the establishment of a child centered ethos within the club. They are the link between the children and the adults in the club. They take responsibility for monitoring and reporting to the Club Management Committee on how guidelines and policy impact on Young People and Sports Leaders.

A volunteer appointed to the Club Children’s Officer position in a club must have completed the Basic Child Welfare & Protection workshop and should complete this new Club Children’s Officer 3 hour Training Course. This course will help the Club Children’s Officer to carry out their role in the club and support the implementation of best practices. Participants will also receive a Club Children’s Officer action planning document as part of the training. All participants will receive a certificate of attendance from the Irish Sports Council.

I want to attend! How do I sign up for this course? Simply email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to book your place. Please provide your name, club and phone number and confirm that you have completed the Basic Awareness in Child Protection course in the last three years. For more details please call Kieron Stout at the phone numbers listed below.